Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove

ABSTRACT

Tethered ball device for attachment to a baseball glove including a ball, a reticulated tether, a tether to glove attachment, one end of the tether penetrating the ball and including a restraint to prevent the ball from becoming detached during the operation of throwing the ball, the opposite end of the tether slidably and frictionally attached to the glove attachment device. The attachment consisting of a strip of flexible material, one end of which terminates in a buckle, the opposite end terminating on one side in a hook type fastener and on the opposite side in a loop type fastener, and the attachment strip also including first and second tether restraining eyelets that allow the tether to be slid and frictionally retained thereby adjusting the overall length of the tether. A preferred embodiment includes the attachment can be easily affixed to most conventional baseball gloves.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Provisional Patent Application No. 60/488,167 titled Adjustable Ball Catching and Throwing Device For Attachment to Ball Catching Glove. Express Mail Number EU824053075US Filed Jul. 12, 2003

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of baseball practice devices and more specifically to tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove. The game of throwing and catching a ball is many hundreds of years old. During the recent evolution of the game, baseball has evolved into a national pastime. The game requires the player to have the skill of throwing a ball and catching it in a baseball glove. The glove is typically made of leather or vinyl or other flexible material and usually includes one or more discrete finger retaining portions that the user slips his or her hand into.

Unfortunately, there are times when a player may not have access to an additional player and yet still wishes to practice throwing and catching a ball. In some cases a player can throw a rubber ball against a wall and catch it on the rebound. However, there may not be a suitable wall present or the player may throw the ball and miss the catch thereby causing him or her to have to retrieve the ball thereby wasting valuable time that might be otherwise spent on practice.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the invention is to provide a way for a person to throw a ball and have it automatically return to his or her standard baseball glove.

Another object of the invention is to provide an easy way for a tethered ball to removably attach to a standard baseball glove.

Another object of the invention is to provide a way for one end of the tether to attach securely to a ball.

A further object of the invention is to provide a way to easily adjust the length of the tether.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a way to neatly retain excess tether to a baseball glove.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove comprising: a ball, a reticulated tether, a tether to glove attachment means, one end of said tether penetrating said ball and including a restraining means to prevent said tether from becoming detached from said ball during the operation of throwing said ball, the opposite end of said tether slidably and frictionally attached to said glove attachment means, said attachment means consisting of a strip of flexible material one end of which terminates in a buckle, the opposite end terminating on one side in a portion of hook type fastener and an adjacent portion of loop type fastener, and said attachment strip also including first and second tether restraining eyelets that allow the tether to be slid and frictionally retained thereby adjusting the overall length of said tether.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a section view of the ball and tether restraining means.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the attachment means and the inside of a standard baseball glove.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the attachment means and the outside of a standard baseball glove.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a person using the invention in the throwing mode.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a person using the invention in the catching mode.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

Referring now to FIG. 1 we see a perspective view of the present invention 100. The invention includes a ball 2 which is preferably made of rubber or rubber like material but may also be a traditional hard ball or soft ball. The invention 100 also includes a reticulated elastic cord 4 and a strap assembly 10 that can removably attach to most standard baseball gloves. The strap assembly 10 includes a buckle portion 32 at one end and a portion of loop type fastening material 12 and an adjacent portion of hook type fastening material 14 at the opposite end so that one end of the strap can be threaded through buckle 32 and turned back on itself 40 so that the loop portion 12 and the hook portion 14 are removably mated. The elastic cord 4 is reticulated so that a long length of cord can be stored within are relatively short distance thereby reducing the chance of tangling of the cord and increasing the elastic effect of the cord making the throwing and catching of the ball 2 more enjoyable. Cord 4 terminates at one end in ball 2 and at its opposite end in a hardened tip 60 that helps make it easier to insert the cord 4 into eyelets 6, 8 found in strap 10. FIG. 2 shows a section view of the ball 2 and shows how one end of the tether 4 is securely retained in the ball by use of a washer 16 and knot 18. The aperture in the ball is capped by silicone sealant 19 or other suitable capping material so that the exterior of the ball is relatively smooth and unblemished. FIG. 3 shows a view of the palm side of a standard baseball glove 24 with the strap 10 of the present invention 100 attached around two fingers of the glove. The tether 4 passes through eyelet 6 thereby frictionally retaining it. The user can adjust the length of the tether 4 by pulling more of it through eyelet 6. The location of band assembly 10 is such that the tethered ball 2 is more apt to return to the center of the glove 24. The strap can be adjusted to fit around one or more fingers depending of the design of the glove 24. FIG. 4 shows a view of the back of the glove 24 and shows how the excess tether cord 4 can be retained by eyelet 8 so that the excess tether 4 does not interfere with the throwing and catching activities. FIG. 5 shows a person 30 in the process of throwing the tethered ball 2. FIG. 6 shows a person in the process of catching the tethered ball 2. The rebounding effect of elastic cord 4 causes ball 2 to return to the palm portion of glove 24.

In the above described and illustrated way, the present invention can be used by a ball player to help him or her practice catching and throwing a ball without the need for an additional player. Because the length of the tether is adjustable, the player can select a practice mode that includes throwing the ball longer or shorter distances and practice catching the ball from longer or shorter distances, The ball can be bounced on the ground or thrown directly into the air. The present invention allows a player to use his or her own baseball glove thereby giving the player valuable practice time that will improve the user's play during actual game conditions.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove comprising: a ball; a reticulated tether; a tether to glove attachment means; one end of said tether penetrating said ball and including a restraining means to prevent said ball from becoming detached from said ball during the operation of throwing said ball; the opposite end of said tether slidably and frictionally attached to said glove attachment means; said attachment means consisting of a strip of flexible material one end of which terminates in a buckle, the opposite end terminating in a loop type fastening material and an adjacent portion of hook type fastening material; and said attachment strip also including a first and second pair of tether restraining eyelets that allow the tether to be slid and frictionally retained thereby adjusting the overall length of said tether.
 2. Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove as claimed in claim 1 wherein said attachment means can be easily affixed to most conventional baseball gloves by sliding said attachment strip between the fingers of said glove and then retaining said strip by said hook and loop fastener.
 3. Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tether is constructed of a reticulated elastic cord.
 4. Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first eyelet is positioned at the interior surface of said ball glove and said second eyelet is positioned at the exterior surface of said ball glove, said first eyelet acting as a tether restraining means and said second eyelet acting as a tether retaining means for keeping the unused tether from interfering with the ball throwing and catching activity.
 5. Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove as claimed in claim 1 wherein said eyelets are large enough to allow said tether to pass, yet small enough to frictionally retain said tether even when said tether is being stressed during the process of throwing said tethered ball.
 6. Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove as claimed in claim 1 wherein additional eyelets may be added to said strap to further retain said elastic cord.
 7. Tethered ball device for attachment to a tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove as claimed in claim 1 wherein said a user of any age, height or gender can practice throwing and catching a ball by throwing said ball, allowing said tether to extend fully, the elastic nature of the tether causing said ball to recoil back into the user's standard baseball glove. 